Formatting, Approach, and References in Graduate Admissions Application

Greetings,

I'm working on a social policy admissions essay that requests the following

1. A description of a problem of interest and an explanation of how policy might address this problem.

2. Explanation of my short term and long term goals and how this degree will accommodate each.

My long term goals revolve around a JD and not a master's in social policy. I plan to use my topic to describe the interconnectedness of the disciplines and emphasize how a well-rounded background in both will speak to the impact I wish to have in my prospective occupation. I want to leave the reader with the impression that I am so dedicated to addressing the issues on all sides, that I am delaying my legal education by two years in pursuit of this secondary background. What do you think?

In addition, I don't want to address the two requirements in their stated order, but instead want to weave them together and address them in a concurrent manner throughout the entire essay. But I don't want to turn a social policy essay into a legal essay seasoned with a social policy discussion.

Finally, I'm thinking about using references in describing my topic. But I have yet to see any guidelines on using references or whether I should use them at all - by that I don't mean plagiarize but refrain from using "source knowledge" in favor of 'common knowledge.'

Sorry for being vague, I don't want to have my approach pilfered and I'm somehow worried that the reviewers might stumble upon this page. That I recognize the absurdity of both concerns says little of my ability to discount them.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may provide. I'm very excited about writing this essay (I love to write) but the approach is a bit daunting.

Ha ha, I enjoyed your personality as it was reflected in this idea you described! Well, first of all, let me assure you that if I was an admissions person who found your essay at this forum, I would be very impressed to see that you went as far as to seek opinions from others before turning in the essay. It's not as if collaboration is against the rules for this sort of meaningful endeavor.

I wanted to caution you against being indirect about answering their questions. Some people judge you by how well you were able to jump through the hoop represented by their essay prompt. I think you can convey the thoughts you described, about acquiring this second background before pressing on with the legal education, in just a few sentences while you answer part two of this essay prompt. For part one, spend a paragraph or two writing about that has captured your passion -- what is it that you are trying to accomplish with this career of yours?

Answer their questions they way they specified, and use some of the words they used (i.e. "problem of interest," "short term and long term goals," "accommodate," "policy"). Jump through their hoops, and do it brilliantly. I can tell you write well.

Once you have the basic elements of your response in the right order, though, there is no reason you can't flesh out the essay by adding in connections between those elements. In fact, that would probably make your essay more interesting.